Meet Michel’le Burns

We recently connected with Michel’le Burns and have shared our conversation below.

Michel’le, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

My resilience comes from surviving one of the darkest moments of my life. In July 2024, I slipped into a coma and had to be airlifted to Duke Hospital in North Carolina. I was placed on life support and even considered brain dead — a three on the coma scale. By every medical standard, I wasn’t supposed to come back.

But by the grace of Jesus, and through the unwavering love and prayers of my family, I did.

Waking up from that experience changed my entire perspective. When you’ve literally walked through the shadow of death and made it back, everyday challenges feel a lot smaller. A setback, a “no,” or a difficult moment doesn’t shake me the way it once might have. If I can survive that, there’s nothing in my career or personal life that can truly defeat me.

That experience didn’t just give me resilience — it gave me purpose. I move forward with a deep sense of gratitude, strength, and determination, knowing that every day is a gift and every obstacle is manageable.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’m Michel’le Burns, a Multimedia Specialist, videographer, and the creator behind Forever Posted SC. I wear a lot of creative hats, but at the core of everything I do is storytelling. Whether it’s healthcare content, weddings, sports, or community projects, I love capturing real moments and turning them into something people can feel.

Professionally, I work with CareSouth Carolina as their Multimedia Specialist, producing videos, graphics, and campaigns that help educate, support, and connect patients to the care they need. It means a lot to me because it’s not just marketing — it genuinely makes a difference in people’s lives. Knowing that my creativity can help someone understand a service, feel more comfortable seeking care, or learn something new keeps me passionate about this work.

Outside of healthcare, I run Forever Posted SC, where I create behind-the-scenes wedding content. Weddings move fast, and I love being that extra set of eyes capturing the laughter, the happy tears, and the moments couples don’t always get to see. My goal is always to help them relive their day exactly how it felt.

What makes my work special is that it’s rooted in authenticity. I’m all about real people and real moments. Whether I’m filming a clinic, a bridal suite, a community event, or a high school game, I want people to feel connected to what they’re seeing.

Right now, I’m focusing on expanding my freelance video editing work and partnering with more wedding professionals. I’m also leaning into more documentary-style storytelling and creating content that inspires younger creatives, especially those from small towns who might not realize how many paths exist in media.

After surviving a coma and being on life support in 2024, I create with a whole new perspective. Everything feels more intentional now — every project, every story, every opportunity. I’m just grateful to be here, using my gifts and helping people capture moments that matter.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Three qualities have shaped my journey the most: resilience, adaptability, and storytelling.

1. Resilience
Surviving a coma and life support in 2024 changed everything about how I move through life. It taught me emotional strength, but more importantly, perspective. Small challenges don’t shake me anymore. That resilience shows up in my work — long edits, tight deadlines, or even hearing “no” from a client doesn’t stop me. I’ve already survived the hardest chapter of my life.

Advice:
Resilience is built through consistency. Start by keeping small promises to yourself — finish the project, learn the new skill, take the opportunity even if you’re scared. Every time you push through, you train your mind to keep going.

2. Adaptability
Working in multimedia means you’re constantly learning: new gear, new editing styles, new platforms, new trends. My career has taken me from wedding content to healthcare, sports media, podcasts, and community storytelling — all because I’m willing to shift, learn, and reinvent when needed.

Advice:
Stay curious. Don’t be afraid to pivot. Try new styles, watch tutorials, experiment with different types of content. The creative field changes fast — being adaptable is what keeps you relevant.

3. Storytelling
No matter what I’m filming — a clinic, a bride, a student athlete — it’s always about the story. Storytelling has been the foundation of my brand and the connection point with my audience. It’s what turns a video into a feeling.

Advice:
Pay attention to people. Listen to their experiences, their emotions, the quiet moments. Great storytelling isn’t about being flashy — it’s about being real. And the more you practice capturing those authentic moments, the stronger your creative voice becomes.

Final thoughts:
To anyone early in their journey:
Start where you are, use what you have, and don’t wait to be “perfect.” The industry rewards those who keep going, stay teachable, and lead with passion. And remember — your story is your superpower. Use it.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

The most impactful thing my parents ever did for me was support me while giving me realistic guidance. They are complete opposites — which is probably why they balanced me so well. My father is comical, full of stories, a dream chaser at heart. My mother is the logical, intellectual planner who can create a roadmap for anything — finances, career, life. I’m grateful I grew up with both energies.

My dad always encouraged me to dream big. I still remember him and my uncle taking me to an acting audition just because I said I wanted to try it. He made the world feel wide open. But when I came home, my mother looked me in the eyes and said something that stuck with me forever: “Always have a Plan B.” That combination — dream big, but be prepared — has shaped every part of my life.

Looking back, there are so many moments where their strengths became the foundation of who I am. My dad’s larger-than-life tales, his humor, even his love for videotaping home movies — all of that poured into my creative side. And my mom? She’s the one who helped me memorize Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech when I came to her as a child. She instilled my faith in Jesus, pushed me into areas I didn’t always want to try, and emphasized education, manners, and discipline.

If I didn’t have that mix — my father’s imagination and my mother’s structure — I wouldn’t be as well-rounded as I am today. When you put all those pieces together, all the best parts of them… you get Michel’le.